Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Bought by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. raised its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 143.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,000 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,125 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,274,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Hershey by 6.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,618,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 20.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 697 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $267,000. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake in Hershey by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,975,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 22,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,149 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $175.90 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $35.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.09. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $160.07 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $193.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $198.84.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.09 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on HSY. Zacks Research downgraded Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.